Fix-It Gone Awry
by ChibotleKentucky
Summary: When sent into the past all Jesse wants to do is right the wrongs that have steadily occurred over time. Unfortunately the world is determined to keep time-space linear and he forces his body and mind through the arduous tasks of fighting reality - and his own impending insanity.
1. Chapter 1

Jesse watched the terminal zone crumble around him, flashing blitzes of colour erupting from every new break.

He closed his eyes so he couldn't see the exit, taunting him, unreachable through a shield of lava.

The others had escaped.

But him?

He laughed bitterly before choking, the noise turning to tears.

The tears grew heavier and more ragged, sobs ripping through his body as he doubled over, mind flashing across images. Countless inages of those he had known and loved.

Petra. Lukas. Olivia. Axel. Ivor. Harper. Amy.

..Rueben

Too caught up in his sobs, he didn't even have time to react as the final metaphorical pillar was destroyed and the terminal zone caved in on itself.

He woke up in a soft bed, eyes filled with tears as he screamed and sat up, expression a mash between horror and desperation.

..Before it slid off into a blank sort of bewilderment.

...What?

He looked dizzily around the plain room. He KNEW this room. It was his room back from when they lived in the treehouse - him, Axel and Olivia.

He slowly crawled out of the head, mind fuzzy and unresponsive as his eyes passed over chests, a potted plant and a poster on the wall.

"...Is this hell?" he breathed softly.

"I sure hope not- i planned to die around 85" a voice sarcastically said from behind him, and he jumped with a shriek, spinning on his heel as his hand reached for an enchanted blade that wasn't there.

Olivia?

She seemed amused at his reaction, lips twitching. "Geez, didn't know you were such a wimp, Jess" she laughed, and Jesse just stared at her silently, eyes still as taughtly wide.

She frowned, bemused, and waved her hand in front of his face. He blinked rapidly before snapping back into reality. "U-um, sorry. Can you come back later? I'm uh.. Busy"

She blinked twice. "Busy. In an empty room. Doing nothing?"

He nodded.

She sighed and rolled her eyes but walked out, shooting Jesse a joke smile as she left.

It didnt make him feel any better.

He pulled up his trousers. No scar on his leg. He pulled up his shirt. No burn across his stomach.

He shuddered, face pale.

Was... Was this some sort of time travel or dimension hop?

But... Why?

He slowed his breathing, and spent the next 20 minutes in an outwardly catatonic state, placing all of his energy into thinking as well as calming himself down, his body wanting to go into panic mode.

He was 20, damnit! He could control himself!

Well. His body right now seemed to be 17 or so. But whatever!

He tried his damndest to stop the incoming hyperventilation, before smoothing his trousers down and sighing.

This was a good thing, right? Now he could... He could stop all the traumatizing crap from ever happening, right? Ellegaard, Rueben, Cassie, Aiden..

He swallowed, but pushed it down with a bout of determination.

Even if he failed... He could at least try.

He could save Rueben. Cassie. Romeo.

Everyone.

Something foreign bloomed in his chest.

The next breath felt new somehow.

"Would you rather fight 10 zombie sized chickens or 100 chicken sized zombies? Bear in mind you wouldn't have any weapons or armour"

Jesse looked up from where he had been gazing out of the window, a small smile crossing his face. The nostalgia was suffocating. "The zombie sized chickens. They would be an abomination" he answered calmly, reveling in the soft breeze.

She smiled. "Imagine their giant feet"

He chuckled, body trembling slightly as the humour intermingled with the restlessness he felt. "As i said- an abomination. Freak of nature"

He looked at Olivia and wondered if she knew her idol would die in front of her. Slowly and painfully and sadly.

Bile rose up in his throat and as Axel jumped up through the floor with his creeper head, he doubled over and threw up.


	2. Chapter 2

"Jesse, are you certain you're okay to go?" Olivia asked him with visible concern. After his little vomiting episode both her and Axel had been overly concerned. He appreciated it but wished they didn't. He was fine. Or at least he would be when he did what he hoped to accomplish.

He felt dizzy at the prospect of all he could change.

"I'm fine, 'liv" he said softly, forcing a smile onto his face. It felt stretched and fake and wrong. "Let's just... Let's go win this thing, yeah? Then we can rub it in those ocelots faces!"

THAT sparked the 'get-go' in her, putting a stride in her step and an angry speech in her mouth. But at the verbal reminder he had given himself of Lukas's old team, that just made him think of Lukas, and how they weren't friends yet.

And Aiden. Who went insane and near megalomaniac. Who tried to take his head off. Who tried to kill the founder - someone he barely knew.

...God.

Some deep, morbid part of his mind told him to kill Aiden. Many people died or were hurt during the assault on Sky City. Was Aiden worth that?

He growled and shook his head. What a stupid question - he shouldn't be trying to determine worth. Killing or harming Aiden was wrong. He'd be just as bad as the other boy had been.

So... Reformation? He doubted Aiden would listen.

As he mused Rueben nuzzled himself up against his leg, to which he absently scratched the pet's back. Rueben was so surreal to him, like a fever dream or hallucination he was indulging in. He hadn't really allowed it to sink in yet.

Out of the corner of his eye he swore he saw someone.

But when he turned to look, no one was there.

Shaking it off, he began to walk faster, adding little 'hms' and 'yes's every so often to Olivia so she wouldn't think he was being off.

"So wait, what specifically we gonna build?" Axel grumbled, and Jesse shrugged. "An Enderman"

Last time they had built a creeper. Jesse doubted a change this minor would effect anything.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't even notice his friends were walking ahead of him until Rueben squealed loudly. Startling, he moved to chase after them but froze when he felt a prescense of some kind.

Someone was watching him.

Entire body tense, eyes wild with fear he looked around. This definitely was not how the first time went. Or did he just not notice back then?

Somewhere in the treeline he saw a pair of glowing white eyes.

He cried out in alarm, feeling Rueben run to hide behind him. Olivia and Axel sprinted back to him, looking extremely worried. "What? What happened?"

The eyes were gone.

Jesse didn't know why he felt so terrified.

"There was someone... Just watching me" he breathed, earning looks of confusion and exasperation. "Jesse, it's the woods. There's bound to be people in here" Olivia scolded, looking slightly ticked off. Jesse ground his teeth together. "Y-yes. But that wasn't a human! It's eyes glowed!"

"An enderman?" Axel guessed, and Olivia elbowed him. "It's the middle of the day, dingus" she turned to Jesse. "You're probably just seeing things. Now come on, we're gonna be late if we just stand around"

"There was someone there, right buddy?" the brunette asked his pig shakily as the two others turned to keep walking. Rueben made a high pitched noise of affirmation. He looked startled and Jesse scooped him up into his arms protectively. "Well, whatever that was, i won't let it hurt you!" he shakily promised. He stumbled after his friends, feeling as if his brain would implode. It was all too much to take in.

"I won't let anyone hurt you. Even if it kills me."


End file.
